Rumah
Rumah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Horbat Rumah. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Rumah appears once in Scripture, in 2 Kings 23:36, identified as the hometown of Zebidah, the mother of King Jehoiakim of Judah. Zebidah was the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah, and she became the wife of the righteous King Josiah. Their son Jehoiakim, however, departed sharply from his father's godly example. Placed on the throne by Pharaoh Neco after Josiah's death and the brief reign of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim "did evil in the eyes of the Lord" (2 Kings 23:37). He taxed the people heavily to pay tribute to Egypt, burned the scroll of Jeremiah's prophecies in contempt (Jeremiah 36:23), and led Judah further toward the catastrophe of Babylonian exile. Though Rumah itself plays no direct role in these events, its mention as the maternal family's origin provides a geographical anchor for the royal household. The city's association with the queen mother reflects the biblical practice of documenting the lineage and hometown of royal consorts, emphasizing that the character of a king's household shaped the nation's destiny.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Rumah is generally identified with Khirbet er-Rumeh (Horbat Rumah), located in the lower Galilee approximately six miles north of Nazareth. The site sits in the fertile Bet Netofa Valley. Some scholars identify it with the Arumah of Judges 9:41, near Shechem, though the Galilean location is more widely accepted. Surface surveys at Horbat Rumah have revealed pottery from the Iron Age through later periods, supporting occupation during the monarchic era when Zebidah's family would have lived there. The Arabic name preserves the ancient toponym. The site has not been extensively excavated, but its strategic location in a productive agricultural valley suggests it was a settlement of modest importance.
Verse Appearances (1)
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Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →